Lawmaker Working On Bill To Arm School Staff

As federal lawmakers are talking about tightening gun restrictions in the wake of last week's massacre in Connecticut, a different kind of gun law is in the works in South Dakota.

Incoming state Representative Scott Craig is drafting a bill that would allow school officials to be armed. Craig says that he actually began drafting the bill weeks before the shootings in Connecticut, but that the tragedy highlights the need for armed staff in schools.

Craig says that the bill he's drafting would allow teachers, administrators and other staff members at South Dakota schools to carry a firearm. Before any faculty members could carry guns onto school grounds, the bill would require them to undergo extra weapons training that is similar to the kind law enforcement has.

Craig says that he understands that this is a controversial issue that people on both sides are passionate about, but that when an emergency happens at a school and help is minutes away, teachers should be prepared.